Michael Willis

Michael Willis is a Senior Research Fellow at the Royal Asiatic Society in London, UK. He previously served as Corresponding Principal Investigator for the ERC Synergy Project 'Religion, Region, Language and the State' (2014–2020) and as a Curator in the Department of Asia at the British Museum (until 2014). He has held visiting professorships at the Collège de France and the University of Groningen. His research focuses on the political, cultural, and religious history of South and Southeast Asia (5th–14th centuries), with a specialization in inter-religious dynamics of mantra practices across Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism. He organized a workshop at Ruhr University Bochum (2011–2012), leading to a special issue of the Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (2012).

• Education: PhD from the University of Chicago, Art History teaching at SUNY New Paltz.
• Current Roles: Secretary of a research group on pre-modern slavery/servitude in South and Southeast Asia.

His work bridges material culture (e.g., British Museum collections) with textual analysis, emphasizing trans-regional religious exchanges. Though no specific awards are noted, his contributions to ERC projects and academic publications highlight interdisciplinary impact.

• Grants/Projects: ERC Synergy Grant (2014–2020), British Museum curatorial leadership.

He collaborates with international institutions like the Käte Hamburger Kolleg (2011 visiting fellowship) and maintains an active research group network.